Friend or Frenemy? A Guide to the Friends You Need and the Ones You Don’t by Andrea Lavinthal & Jessica Rozler
First line: “There was a time, a simpler time, when turning sweet sixteen meant keys to your mom’s Buick instead of keys to a brand new Beemer, McDreamy was just a frozen dessert at McDonald’s, and a few things were certain: George Michael was straight, starlets kept their privates private (unless, of course, they were making a very “artistic” film), and most importantly you knew exactly who your friends were.”
Friends. For me, you can’t live without ‘em. Good friends can be better than family, and in some cases a helluva lot better than family. Friend or Frenemy digs in to the issue of friends, not with a pitchfork, but with a pink-handled shovel. It’s humorous and spot-on and I dare anyone to go away from reading and not feel like you identified a few friends or frenemies from your current or past relationships and even – gasp – noticed some of those things in yourself. (Only the good parts, eh?)
Lavinthal and Rozler do a suberb job of offering advice and insight about the friends we love, so-called friends we should lose and how to be a better friend ourselves. Even the funny stuff – like never letting your friends leave the house in Crocs unless they are gardening or working as a nurse – balance out the heavier issues like – duh – don’t sleep with your best friend’s mate, even after your friend’s relationship is over. These authors know that girls love to analyze, and I found myself doing that throughout the book. I adore my girlfriends – the ones who go “way back” and even the new ones I’ve met through Facebook who I’d love to meet in person someday. I am thankful that mutiple times my best friend ignored the advances of my ex-boyfriends. And I didn’t even have to tell her how I felt about it. That’s what friends are for.
For: A must-read about great friends, not-so-good friends and how to make the most of the friendships we treasure. – Malena Lott